


killing me slow, out the window

by shesthesmoke



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Gen, a drunk and sad one, alex and forrest are kind of similar, alex manes be like (dates his narrative foil), but not so much that i would ignore this idea, forrest gets sappy, forrest is a poet, forrest is really sad in this im sorry, greg is practicing being a big brother, i took a detour to be emo about flint because of course i did, i want forlex to be happy for as long as possible, is that conducive to a relationship? unfortunately no, they both care about alex so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shesthesmoke/pseuds/shesthesmoke
Summary: greg stops at the wild pony on his way out of town and has a chat with a blue haired familiar facetitle from cruel summer by taylor swift
Relationships: Alex Manes/Michael Guerin (mentioned), Forrest Long & Gregory Manes, Forrest Long/Alex Manes (mentioned)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 64





	killing me slow, out the window

**Author's Note:**

> ok so actually this is part 2 of a trilogy, part 1 hasn't been written yet but dw that's coming next

Greg isn't leaving his life on the reservation behind any time soon, but with his father gone and his brothers mostly on speaking terms with each other, there's nothing keeping him out of Roswell anymore either. 

A couple of weeks after the open mic night, Greg ends up back at the Wild Pony. Alex isn't there, but Greg recognizes someone Alex introduced him to. "Forrest?"

Forrest turns his head lazily and regards Greg with a look that is both strikingly forlorn and decidedly not sober. “Hey.”

Greg has never felt like he was very good at being a big brother, but that’s not going to stop him from trying for this relative stranger. He feels like he should probably know the guy his actual brother has been seeing for two months a little bit better than he does, but it can’t possibly be too late to start now. “Dude, what’s wrong?” He doesn’t want to assume it’s about Alex, because Forrest is an adult with his own life, but if it’s about something else Greg fears he’ll be worse than useless. 

Forrest lets out a sigh, long and melancholy and dramatic, and then smiles sadly into his nearly empty glass. “Worried I’ve broken your brother’s heart?” He asks, with just a touch more vitriol than he probably intended because he looks a little apologetic as soon as he says it. “Don’t worry, the only heart I’ve ever been able to break is my own.”

That’s still fairly worrying, but Greg doesn’t know how to ask for more info. Thankfully, Forrest, ever the slam poet and encouraged by the whiskey, takes the silence as carte blanche to keep talking about his feelings. 

"I fall too easy, I always have,” he states, as if that’s a normal piece of personal info to share in a bar. 

“I… guess that’s not something you can control,” Greg offers tentatively. He really isn’t sure what’s going on. 

Forrest nods and then puts his hand on Greg’s shoulder kind of awkwardly and leaves it there. “Exactly, thank you! But when Alex finished singing that song, I decided I was going to tell him to go after Guerin and deal with my feelings later. But then…"

"Then he kissed you." Greg fills in. He was there for that part of the story, at least. 

"He kissed me…” Forrest slumps back in his seat with an air of finality. “…and I decided to let him break my heart."

Greg thinks about the nicest possible way to let Forrest know that that’s the dumbest shit he’s ever heard. “Are you going to break up with him?”

Forrest shakes his head. “Nah, wouldn’t be fair to him. I told you, I knew what I was getting into.”

Okay, even if he can’t figure out the nice way to say it, Greg still has to tell him. "Listen, if you and Alex aren't meant to be, it's not because of Michael. It's because you're way too goddamn similar. That self-sacrificial bullshit, it’s right out of his playbook. What’s the point?"

“Fuck,” Forrest whines, tilting his head back, “you’re right. Why are you right?”

Greg shrugs. “Guess I finally figured the older brother thing out.”

Forrest closes his eyes and smiles softly. “Alex is really lucky to have you, you know. Flint, too.”

Greg stiffens. “What do you know about Flint?”

Forrest shrugs. “Just that you guys are trying. That’s what counts.”

Greg constantly feels like he could be trying harder, and he knows Alex does too, but they’ll get there eventually.

“Alex and Michael, are they gonna be good for each other?” Forrest asks in a small voice, making eye contact with Greg for the first time in the conversation. 

Greg has to think for a second. “I don’t know, honestly. It’s gonna depend on them. But I think… if they wanted to be, I think they could do it.”

Forrest nods, a small part of him satisfied while the rest of him is a wound that’s probably going to ache for a while. “That’s… that’s good.”


End file.
